Injection Drug Users Have Higher Rate of Drug Dependence than Non-Injectors
Posted under Abused Drugs on Monday, July 25th, 2011
A new study shows that drug users who inject their drugs are in greater need of treatment for abuse of these substances than those users who do not inject. The study was conducted by researchers at RTI, an International Research institute.
Studies compared past users of injection-type drugs to non-injection users of drugs who use and included the drugs cocaine, heroin and meth. They found that those living in rural areas were the highest users of injection-type drugs. Scott Novak, the lead author of the study, found that drug use by injection users poses much higher problems with abuse than those who do not inject.
Novak states that drug dependence is more prevalent, as well as re-occurring disorders of a mental or physical nature. Unemployment problems were a factor with these types of injectors also. Novak says these people represent a part of the population in need of treatments that are of a specialty-nature, according to research available in Medical News Today. RTI conducted a nationwide poll of about 70,000 adults and youth in the U.S. annually and found that the most preferred means of administration was through injection among this demographic. Those in the rural areas were higher than those in suburban areas and the study showed that injection users were typically over 35 years old, with less than a high school diploma and were unemployed.
Novak found the study confirmed long held beliefs that users who inject their drugs are in fact unique to the drug population with specific needs for treatment, regardless of the drugs they infuse. He hopes to continuing learning more about their means of administering these drugs and the individualities of the users, in order to better tailor treatment programs and strategies to help them.
